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The slot cutter makes the slots exactly the same distance from the top at all locations, insuring that the top will be flat at all joints,  The bottom can be a little off if the boards are not exactly the same thickness.  So even if you thickness planer may need an adjustment, your boards will still be flat on top.  This is the beauty of using biscuits to create a panel.  A bit of glue in all the slots and a modest amount on both of the mating surfaces will create a strong joint,

If you make a top like this, here are some woodworking tips:

Make the top a bit oversized and cut it to the correct size later.  That way the edges will be perfect.

If you are using pipe clamps like I do, be sure to put a strip of tape on the pipe where the joints will be.  There is a chemical reaction between the pipe and the glue that leaves an ugly stain at the point of contact.

Alternate the clamps,,, some on top of the panel and some on the bottom.   This should keep the panel from buckling when you draw the clamps tight,

Next I glued more of the recycled wood together to form blanks for the legs.  I made them about 2"x2" and about 19 inches long, then ripped, jointed, and planed them to 1 3/4" square and cut them to their final length of 18 1/4".  Using a square, I marked one end for mortises that started 1/2 inch from the end of the leg and extended to the the 2 1/2 inch mark.   Then using a mortising machine, I cut the mortises about 5/8 inch deep using a 1/4 inch chisel.  You can make mortises using your drill press and chisels like the old time woodworkers, but it takes a lot of extra time.  The dedicated mortiser is a great tool.  Some drill presses can be outfitted with a mortising attachment.

 

Above is my mortising machine set up to cut.  Cut one side and turn it around to cut the adjacent side.  That way you don't have to reset the fence .  Make sure you lay out exactly where you want each mortise before you start cutting so that they end up in the right spot. I used a tapered leg in this picture, but I actually made the mortises before I tapered the legs.  It is just easier to work with flat, square pieces.

Notice the layout lines in the picture.  Make both end holes first, then work from one end to the other.  Using oak, I had to use a lot of pressure to get the chisel through, so I had to work slowly so that the chisel didn't get too hot.  I used some wax to lubricate the bit. I used a 1/4 inch chisel to tweak the sides of the mortises and flatten out the bottoms.

Now I sized the four aprons leaving enough room for the 5/8" long tenons.  Using a set of dado blades in the table saw, I cut the tenons to about 1/4 in thickness.  You have to cut a sample piece or two to get the right thickness.  The fit should be snug.  Then I used my band saw to cut across the tenon 1/2 inch one both sides and used a chisel to cut off the ends.  This makes the tenon the right length for the mortises in the legs.

Now the fun begins.  It is now check and cut, sand, scrape, chisel until the tenon fits the mortise.  Once I had a good fit on each tenon, I marked the top with a number so that I could put it back together in the right spot.

Here is a simple tapering jig for the legs.  It is made from a strip of 3/4" plywood about 6-8" wide and about 3 feet long, another strip of plywood about 2-3"wide, screwed on top of the first, a 3" thick block about 3"x3" screwed at the bottom end of the jig, and a hold-down at the other end.

I marked the bottom of the leg where I wanted the taper to end and marked the top of the leg where I wanted the taper to start (about 6 inches from the top).  Then I placed the leg on the bottom piece of plywood so that both of those marks lined up with the side of the plywood and used a pencil to mark the location of the leg.  Then I screwed the 3" strip and the thick block right against the pencil lines.  Now I attached the hold-down so that it was the proper height to clamp the leg

Now setting the fence to the width of the bottom strip, I pushed the jig and leg through the saw blade and made a perfect taper.  Note:  I tapered the two sides that contained the mortises so that the inside of the leg has the tapers.

If you use this tapering jig, when you taper the first side, you must have the other mortise facing the top of the table saw so that a flat side of the leg is against the top of the jig for both cuts.

Before gluing the aprons to the legs, I used the dado set to cut a 1/4" wide dado across the inside of each apron so that it was between 1/2 and 3/4 inches from the top.  This holds the wooden clips that attach the top.

The clips were made by using the dado set across the end of a piece of 1x3  to create a lip about 1/4 inch thick and wide.  Then I cut them to about 1 1/2 inches and repeated the process until I had 4 wooden clips.  I just screwed the clips into the top as shown and they hold the top on just fine with a little wiggle room for expansion and contraction of the top.  You can buy ready-made metal clips that work the same way.  You can also use what are called figure eights or a variety of other gadgets as long as they allow for expansion and contraction.

After gluing the legs to the aprons, I attached the top and stained the whole table,  I used urethane varnish for a tough finish,  Here is a woodworking tip about varnishing:  when varnishing over stain, never work right from the can.  If you do you will contaminate the rest of the varnish,  I just used a plastic drink cup.  Don't skimp on the brush.  For varnish use a good quality pure bristle brush.  Look for one with a "chisel" tip for the best results.  With varnish many light coats is better than a few heavy coats.  And always scuff the surface between coats using steel wool or very fine sand paper.